TECHNICAL REPORT

ON

INDUSTRIAL VISIT TO CIACO FOAMS

SUBMITTED TO

DEPARTMENT OF AND PRODUCTION ENGINEERING

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, AKURE, NIGERIA.

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING DEGREE IN INDUSTRIAL & PRODUCTION

ENGINEERING (B.Eng.)

SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2024

 BY

S/N NAME MATRIC NO

01 JA IYESIMI COLLINS IPE/20/5743

02 ADEDIWURA ABUBAKRY IPE/20/5710

03 ERINFOLAMI FAREED OLAREWAJU IPE/20/5731

04 ALEEM MUHAMMED IPE/20/5724

05 OSHO OLAOLUWA IPE/20/5765

06 IBRAHIM OLUMIDE IPE/20/5740

07 GARBA ABDULSALAM MODUPE IPE/20/5736

08 GODMAN PROSPER OLUWAROTIMI IPE/20/5738

INDUSTRIAL VISIT TO CIACO
FOAMS
1.0 INTRODUCTION

 Background Overview

 Purpose and Objectives

2.0 THE PLANT

 Security
 Admin Block
 Mould Pattern facility
 Injection Mould Facility
 Loading section
 Curing Facility
 Power House
 Warehouse & Finishing Hall

3.0 RAW MATERIALS

 Polyols
 Diisocyanate
 Blowing agents
 Surfactants (additives)
 Catalysts
 Curatives
 Other additives

4.0 METHODOLOGY

 Mould production method

 Injection mould production

5.0 OTHER PRODUCTION PROCESSES

 Shredding
 Finishing

6.0 INVENTORY AND STOCK

7.0 CONCLUSIONS
 CHAPTER ONE

Name of Company: Ciaco Foams

Product: Mattresses and pillows

Background Overview
Ciaco Foams is one of the major foam producing companies in Nigeria. They have been
around for some years now and the exact plant we visited is one of the branches they have in
Ondo state and what they basically do is produce foams which are then transformed into
mattresses and pillows which are then sold to consumers.

Purpose and Objectives

Our group went on an industrial visit on Tuesday, the 3rd of September 2024 and the first
production company we visited is a company by the name Ciaco Foams. It is a company
whose primary focus is to produce foams which are then later turned into mattresses and also
used for producing consumer pillows. On getting to the company we surprisingly met another
group who were also visiting the company that same day and since we've come all the way
for an industrial visit to the company we had no choice but to do the visitation together.
At the entrance we were received by the security man who took us to the admin block where
we were fortunate enough to meet the manager of the company. We explained our reason for
unexpectedly showing up at their company without prior notice and even with that, the
manager didn't see any problem in showing us around the industry plant and making our
industrial visit worthwhile.
 CHAPTER TWO

The Plant

Plant Layout

The plant as one can see from fig.1 above is splitted into 8 sections with some of the sections
subdivide into smaller sections.

1. Security
This is where the security men guarding the plant are stationed. They are the first any visiting
person or group of people would meet and they dialogue with the visitor or visitors asking
them the reason and purpose of their visit before deciding whether to let them in or not.
Security is a very important aspect of any production plant and the company ensures that they
are confidently secured while they carry out their production.

2. ADMIN Block
This is where the people involved in the administration of the company are. There are offices
but we were only able to see the manager's office. This is where we met with the manager
and this is where he gave us a brief introduction of the company’s production process before
leading us to other sections of the plant.

3. Mould Pattern Production Facility

This is a section of the plant where the production of the foam through mould pattern
production is done. It has two other rooms inside and one holds the raw materialz needed for
the product while the other is used to store some of the produced foams.

4. Injection Mould Facility

This is the section of the plant where majority of the foams are produced. Because it is almost
completely automated, it does not only produce the foams with better accuracy but also in a
time faster when compared with the mould pattern production. But nevertheless, the company
still employs the simultaneous use of both processes for more productivity.
 5. Loading Section
Just like the mould pattern production has a room for storing raw materials needed for
production, the raw materials that will be used by the Injection Mould machine are pumped
into the storage tanks at the loading section. It is a section completely different from the
Injection Mould facility where raw materials that will be needed by the Injection Mould
machine are pumped through hoses running through the loading section all the way into the
Injection Mould facility.

6. Curing Facility
This is the section of the plant where curing of the produced foam takes place. Curing of
foam, a process which will be deeply talked about in the later part of this report takes place in
the curing facility and it is a wide open area capable of fitting as many moulds of foams as
possible for curing at the same time.

7. Power House
This is the building that houses the generators that are used in the production processes. This
supplies the electricity needed by the plant for the production process.
 8. Warehouse & Finishing Hall
After curing, the foam has been produced and it is time to turn it to either a mattress or pillow
in the case of shredded foams. The finishing hall which doubles down as the warehouse for
the plant is where this takes place. After moving the foam from the curing facility to the
finishing hall, a mattress tape edge sewing machine is then used to sew around the foam
thereby forming a mattress which is then stored in a subsection of the building which serves
as a warehouse for the final products.

Before moving to the production process, it is important to note the most important raw
materials used by the company in foam production. The type of foam produced by the
company is Polyurethane Foam and there are six primary components (raw materials) that
will be needed during the foam production process.

Raw Materials

1. Polyols
Polyol, which is an organic molecule containing one or more hydroxyl (OH) groups, is the
most needed when it comes to polyurethane foam production process. It is required in large
amounts and it reacts with the diisocyanate to create the main polymer chain of the foam.

2. Diisocyanate
Together with the polyols, diisocyanate compounds form the prepolymer of the polyurethane
system. There are two main types of diisocyanate: aliphatic and aromatic.
a. Aliphatic Diisocyanates
Its most popular characteristics are its non-yellowing appearance and lower reactivity.
Aliphatic diisocyanates are mostly used in applications where color stability is required. The
most common ADIs are hexamethylene (HDI), hexamethylene (HMDI), and isophorone
(IPDI). These are less often used in foam production since they are better suited to
manufacture of elastomeric coatings and seals.
b. Aromatic Diisocyanate
Aromatic diisocyanates represent more than 90% of total diisocyanate consumption.
Polyurethane foams made from aromatic diisocyanates can be formulated into different levels
of rigidity. However, they have lower oxidation resistance and ultraviolet radiation stability.
This type is further divided into Naphthalenic Diisocyanates (NDI), Methylene Diphenyl
Diisocyanate (MDI), and Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI).
I. Naphthalenic Diisocyanates (NDI): This type is extensively used in Europe
compared to the TDI and MDI-dominated American market. NDIs offer superior
performance and long service life for dynamic applications. One downside of NDIs is
their high melting point making them difficult to process. Moreover, it is highly
reactive, resulting in lower storage stability.
II. Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate (MDI): MDIs are manufactured by the
phosgenation of the condensation product of aniline with formaldehyde. The most
common isomer used in polyurethane production is purified 4,4 isomers. MDIs are
generally used in producing rigid and semi-rigid polyurethane foams.
III. Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI): TDI is obtained from the phosgenation of diamino
toluene taken from the reduction of nitrotoluene. Typical forms of TDIs used on an
industrial scale are the 2,4 and 2,6 isomers at an 80/20 blend. Producing different
proportions other than the 80/20 requires an additional process. TDI is used in the
preparation of flexible polyurethane foams. This is the cyanate Ciaco Foams use in
their foam production.

3. Blowing Agents:
Blowing agents are used to generate gas to produce the foam‘s cellular structure. Gas can be
introduced into the polymer system through chemical and physical means. The first blowing
agent used was CFC-11 or trichlorofluoromethane. This was considered an ideal blowing
agent due to its non-combustibility, appropriate boiling point, good compatibility with
polyurethane, and non-toxicity. However, the chemical, along with other
hydrochlorofluorocarbons, is now banned through the Montreal Protocol in 1987 because of
its tendency to cause ozone layer depletion. Today, CFCs are being replaced by water,
pentane, methylene chloride hydrocarbons, halogen-free azeotropes, and other zero ozone
depletion potential blends. There are two types of blowing agents which includes:
a. Chemical Blowing Agents:
Chemical blowing agents generate gas by adding compounds that react with the isocyanate
groups to form carbon dioxide. A common chemical blowing agent is water. Using water
alone poses several problems, such as higher temperatures from the exothermic reaction, high
polymer system viscosity, high consumption of isocyanates, and inefficient mixing. Thus, it
is usually paired with a physical blowing agent. Other chemical blowing agents include
enolizable organic compounds, polycarboxylic acid, and boric acid.

b. Physical Blowing Agents:

Physical blowing agents, on the other hand, operate by vaporizing a volatile compound from
the heat generated by the exothermic polymerization reaction. Since the ban on CFCs and
HCFCs, new physical blowing agents have been developed such as cyclopentane, n-pentane,
liquified CO2, methyl chloride hydrocarbons, and halogen-free azeotropes. The company
makes use of any of the readily available physical blowing agents.

4. Surfactants (Additives):
Surfactants are additives that help form, stabilise, and set polyurethane foams. The most
widely used are silicone-based surfactants. Silicone surfactants perform important functions
such as reducing surface tension, preventing foam collapse until cross-linking, controlling
cell size, preventing cell shrinkage after curing, and counteracting any deformities induced by
adding solids into the system.

5. Catalysts:
Catalysts are used to control the rate of reaction of the isocyanate and hydroxyl groups and
the rate of gas generation. These polymerization and gas generation processes usually need to
occur simultaneously. If the polymerization process proceeds faster than the gas generation,
the cells tend to remain closed, which causes the foam to shrink as it cures and cools.
Consequently, if the gas generation is faster, the cells expand before the polymer can cure
and provide support. The rates of these two reactions must be balanced to produce uniform
open cells.

6. Curatives:
This includes cross-linkers and chain extenders and they are low molecular weight polyols
that are used to cure the polyurethane system. The elastomeric properties of the polyurethane
solid phase, such as tensile, flexural, and tear strength, are derived from the degree of cross-
linking and chain extension. Common cross-linkers and chain extenders are glycerol,
ethylene glycol, and diamines.

Other Additives: These include antioxidants, UV stabilizers, anti-static agents, plasticizers,

flame retardants, pigments, mold release agents, and fillers. A specific set of additives is
blended into the polymer system to impart properties desired for the intended application.
Colour pigments are also added to sometimes change the base colour, since the base colour
for polyol which is used in the production is white.

Processes Involved in the Production.

Since the production plant makes use of two different foam production process including;
Mould Production Method and Injection Mould Method, then the processes involved in the
two would be briefly discussed.

Mould Production Method

1. Storing of the Raw Materials

Before the production of the polyurethane foam commences, the production plant makes sure
that the composition of the raw materials used in the production of the foam has not been
altered in any form. The production plant ensures that the raw materials that need to be stored
at a certain temperature are stored properly. The store for some of the raw materials have Air
Conditioning units in them to keep the raw materials at a reasonably low degree. This is
because of the high flammability nature of the chemicals many of the raw materials are made
of. In order to avoid any accident that could arise from the sudden combustion of the
chemicals due to high temperature. The preferable temperature to keep the raw materials is at
a temperature of 20⁰C and careful measures are taken to make sure that the temperature is, if
not at exactly 20⁰C (which they try to make it be at most times), is reasonably close to it.
This, being part of their quality control is a process the manager pointed out as very
important as any alteration in the composition of the raw materials Wii not only affect the
production result at the end of production, it can also lose risk to th workers and the plant at
large.

2. Calculating the amount of chemicals to be used

In this process, a skilled worker whose main job is most likely only to calculate the amount of
chemicals to be mixed and work supervision will calculate the amount of chemicals that will
be needed for mixing depending on the weight, quantity and size of the foam needed to be
produced. The chemicals are not just mixed together by the unskilled labour. This could
result in a substandard foam being produced or even no foam being produced at all. There is
need to be cm dry careful being mixing the chemicals and without the right calculation done
by the right person, the end result my be a product not worthy of taking to the market for sale.

3. Preparation of mould
The mould which could be made of metal or wood is prepared in this step. The company
usually makes use of metal as they prefer it to wooden moulds. This step is one of the key
differentiators of this method of foam production and the other type which will be talked
about later. The mould will have to be the exact size and shape that is needed to be produced.
In Nigeria the standard length of mattress foams is 75 inches or 6.3 feet and then the width
and height can vary depending on the target demographic. The sizes for student mattress
which could be any of the following 6×2.5×6, 6×3.5×4, 6×3.5×6, 6×3.5×8, 6×2.5×4,
6×3.5×3, 6x3x6, 6x3x8 (in feet), depending on model and varying level of thickness will be
different from King size (75 × 72) inches, King XL (75 × 84) inches, Queen (75 × 60) inches
and Full Double (75 x 54) inches.

4. Mixing
After all the necessary calculations have been done, the next step is to mix the right amount
of raw materials (chemicals) in a reactor bucket according to the result of the calculation that
was done. This process is also known as polymer system preparation and it involves blending
and mixing the chemicals together using a mixing head. In this process, the primary reactive
elements are polyols, diisocyanates, and chemical blowing agents. Polyols and diisocyanates
are essential for polymerization, while diisocyanates and blowing agents (like water) drive
gas generation.

5. Foam Formation
For the foam to form into the required shape, the mixed chemicals will have to be poured
from the reactor bucket into the mould where it reacts together and then the blowing agents
added to the mixture of the chemicals will cause the foam to rise to the required level
according to the calculation made.

6. Curing (Foam Curing)

This step is the same for the two production method so more on it will be said after treating
the second foam production method being used in this foam production plant.

Injection Mould Production

In Injection Mould Production method, an Injection Mould machine coupled with a conveyor
and a cutting machine is used in the production of the foam. This is a capital intensive
method of foam production but there is no doubt that it is worth the capital because of the
time and cost it saves during production. Even though a machine is involved in this
production, it might seem like there is no need for labour like it will be needed in the Mould
production method but that is not the case. Just like the mould production method, this
method also requires labour and sometimes even more labour because of its fast production
process which will be needing workers to moved the produced foam immediately after it has
been cut by the cutting machine.

1. Loading and Storing of Raw Materials (Chemicals)

This step is similar to the storing of raw materials for Mould production method but the
difference is, rather than storing the chemicals in a room in containers, the liquid chemicals
are poured into a storage tank in the Injection Mould Facility. Each storage tank will be
dedicated to a chemical used in the production process. In the production plant, there are two
stationed storage tanks, one for loading polyol and the other for Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI).
Additive tanks are smaller tanks that are placed beside the two larger storage tanks with the
additives needed in them.
Loading takes place in the loading section where tankers filled with the chemicals would stay
and pump the chemicals [Polyol and Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI)] into the storage tanks
stationed in the Injection Mould Facility. Since the Injection Mould Facility cannot be air
conditioned like the storage room used in the Mould production method, a chiller system is
introduced to the storage tanks immediately after loading in order to cool down the chemicals
in the storage tanks to 20⁰C. A thermometer is fixed to the tanks to ensure that the chemicals
reach the required cooling temperature and they are not cooled below the normal 20⁰C
temperature.

2. Calculating the amount of chemicals that will be used.

Just like calculations are necessary before commencing production in the Mould production
method, calculations have to be done in this method of production too. In this case though,
the calculations needed are completely different from the calculations done in the Mould
production method and the calculations might even be more complex that's why a skilled
individual is usually the only one allowed to do the calculations and meter the results into the
Injection Mould machine. The results of the calculation will depend on the density of the
foam needed and the results are metered into the Injection Mould machine.

3. Foam Production
In this step the results from the calculations done in the step before this will be metered into
the machine which will then start production according to what has been metered into it. The
amount of chemical the machine will use will be solely chosen by the machine and the
production of the foam with the required density will commence.
Since a machine is involved in the production process in this method of production, the whole
production is done by the machine as it injects the mixed chemicals on a fore plate which is
carried by a conveyor to the cutting machine. As the conveyor carries the injected foam to the
cutting machine, the cutting machine cuts the foam according to the required size that has
been metered into it.

4. Curing (Foam Curing)

This process is the same for both Mould production and Injection Mould production
processes.
After the required size of the foam has been gotten from the Mould production method or cut
by the cutting machine during the Injection Mould production method, they are moved to the
curing facility which is a large open area with a roof to protect from rain. The foams are left
to cure and this takes about eighteen hours (18hrs).

Curing facility

Shredding

This is when a crumbing machine is used to shred some of the foams so they can be used in
the production of pillows.

Finishing

This process takes place in the finishing hall of the plant and it involves sewing of a clothing
materials onto the foams in order to turn them into usable consumer mattresses. A mattress-
edge sewing machine is used to sew the clothing materials onto the foams. The pillows are
also sewn and then packing of the foams and pillows follows. The finished products are then
moved to the stock section of the warehouse.

Inventory and Stock

Company's inventory are both kept in their warehousing which also serves as their finishing
hall. Their inventory which includes recently cured foams, threads and the clothing materials
that will be sown onto the foams to make them finally a mattress and also for the pillows are
placed in a different section of the warehouse. The reason why they are both kept in the same
building is to aid the ease of moving the finished product from the sewing section to the stock
section. The stock is kept in the warehouse until buyers including wholesalers, retailers and
even sometimes individual customers will come to buy the mattresses.

Stock

Quality Assurance and Control

Like it has been stated in some of the processes of the foam production already mentioned,
the plant ensure quality assurance and control by storing the raw materials the right way,
doing the necessary calculation before commencing production, allowing only skilled
professional to operate machines used during production and making sure there is constant
supervision of the work and processes as production is taking place. The finished products
are stored under the right condition to avoid any damage before selling to consumers.

Plant Layout: F

Benefits of the Layout chosen by the production plant

1. The layout chosen by the production plant allows two production process to be taking
place at the same time. The Mould production facility moves their foam to the curing
facility without hindering the movement of the foams being carried from the Injection
Mould facility.
2. The layout ensures and supports large production because it allows two production
processes to be simultaneously taking place.
3. The layout is set up in such a way that if a method of production is unavailable for the
day, it will not hinder the production process of the other method.
4. The plant ensures smooth movement of both raw materials into the production
facilities and smooth movement of the finished products to the curing facilities and
then to the warehouse.

Safety Measures
1. It should be noted that fire hydrants were strategically placed in certain places around
the Injection Mould facility because of the high combustible nature of most of the raw
materials used in foam production.
 2. There are exhaust pipes used to draw smoke produced in the facility out of the
Injection Mould facility outside to create a better ventilation for the workers in the
facility and also to reduce the amount of heat that will be felt during production.
3. People suffering from asthma or any other lung related diseases are not allowed to
work in the Injection Mould Facility because of the smoke emitted by the machine
and the reduction in breathable air. Even though there are exhaust pipe to help reduce
the risk of creating a facility that is not well ventilated, the company is not ready to
take any risk with people having any kind of lung diseases.
4. The workers are required to wear the necessary Person Protection Equipments while
working.

Conclusion

The visit was a necessity for adding to our current knowledge on production facilities and
production process. Visiting a production plant helped us relate theoretical engineering
gained in class lectures to real life production processes.
After the visit, the group was able to learn and understand the production processes involved
in foam production. Not only that, the group can also use engineering terms learnt in class
lectures to further understand the reason behind every single process in the production. It was
a very enlightening experience and the group was very happy with the school’s decision to
add an industrial visit related course to the curriculum of Industrial and Production
Engineering.